Beff Tripwig
The story of Beff Triptwig. 'If I were to write the full account of my life i'm afraid that it would take months maybe even years so instead I give you a brief account of the events that lead me on the path of an adventurer. ' I was born to be a traveler! Even as a young Elfling I was always roaming the countryside around my home near Lowstof , Norvic trying to find new paths and old woodlands to explore, I just loved the smell of the wind, the feel of the earth beneath my feet and the sounds of the animals around me. On my 20th year I left my family home to travel Ithron, I will make it clear now that although I loved to wander it was never my intention to become an adventurer in fact I had always thought that adventurers were a violent bunch who would rather swing a sword than talk and resolve a problem peacefully, I much preferred to run from conflict or hide when possible until the danger had passed. Words are not enough to describe the sites that I saw on my travels! beautiful blue rivers and oceans, Lush green woodlands just bursting with life! quaint little villages bustling with day to day activity and magnificent rolling hills that just seemed to go on forever. Unavoidably I did see my fair share of darkness as well but I would rather not get into that here, There is only one dark event that you will need to know about in order to understand my enrollment into the adventuring community and the scouts guild. Years and years had passed since I had last been home to Norvic Occasionally I would consider making the journey home but those thoughts were usually quickly forgotten when I would come to a new fork in the road and a new untraveled path was put before me. however the events that transpired during the Harversting of 1016 sent me home with out a second thought. I was fixing the fencing at the bottom of the garden of a small homestead near Plymbury which I had been using as a base for a few months when I heard them.... It was a beautiful little cottage with Wistiria climbing around the door frame and a flower garden that always seemed in bloom, The acres of land surrounding the cottage were divided into lush vegetable patches, grazing areas for a small number of livestock which I had become very close to and a stream that ran at the lower boundary of the land, It truly was a little piece of heaven and probably the reason that I had stayed in the area longer than usual. I had heard rumors that a horde of undead had been making its way through the area unchallenged and leaving death and destruction in its wake but I never dreamed that they would cross my path but the sound was unmistakable! deep low moans and weapons being dragged along as they slowly trudged forward. The noise sent a cold through me that pierced my very core and froze me to the spot like a fawn in the sight of a hunter (I knew this sight very well as over the years I had become pretty skilled hunter and handy with a bow) my mind raced at 100 miles an hour, Should I run? What if I fell, Could I hide? Where could I hide? What if it was already too late and I had been spotted? the call of a crow behind me snapped me out of my frozen state and gave me an idea, I climbed a nearby tree and hid myself in its leafy canopy. From my hiding spot I could see for miles but this was not the time to be admiring the view, my heart sunk as a column of smoke started to rise from my little cottage, I could hear the sound of the fire crackling and the animals screaming as one by one they were picked off and slaughtered by the undead scum! Some nights the sights and sounds of that terrible day still haunt my dreams. I stayed on my perch for what seemed like hours with the smell of fire and flesh burning in my nose, just waiting for it all to be over, I have never been so ashamed with myself as I did in that moment. Once the danger had passed I climbed down from my tree and made my way towards what was left of the cottage, terror and sadness gripped my heart as the full extent of the attack was laid out in front of me. Pieces of my livestock were strewn around the gardens, They were not just animals to me they were my friends! I had spent so much time tending to all of them and making sure that they were all healthy and happy that I had created a strong bond with all of them. Tears filled my eyes and rolled down my face and I fell to my knees as waves of grief washed over me. How could something do this to another creature ! Then my ears twitched as I heard a rustling coming from behind me and for the first time in my life I was not filled with fear but instead I was filled with an almighty rage ! could it be that there were more of them? I jumped to my feet and pulled a hammer from my belt (which I had been using earlier that day), I turned and charged in the direction of the noise. But there was nothing there, I was confused because my hearing had never fooled me before in fact I prized my hearing above all of my other senses. I stood and strained my ears trying to hear anything besides the sound of my cottage still slowly smoldering behind me, the hammer still gripped tightly in my hand. *Crack* There it was again! the sound had only come from a few feet away so why couldn't I see anything ! But then my heart sank.... The sound had not come from a remaining undead, the sound was my best friend. Floppsy the rabbit lay rapidly breathing beneath a blackberry bush, It was immediately obvious that she was seriously hurt, blood was blossoming from underneath her extremely long ears. I tried to run towards her but tripped and fell into the dirt beside her, the taste of blood and dirt filled my mouth but I did not care. I had met Floppsy a few years ago while I was wondering near Portsdean. she had her leg caught in a hunters snare and I had taken pity on her and released her from the trap but her leg had been injured so I brought her along with me and nursed her back to full health. She had followed me every where ever since. I carefully sat myself beside her but Floppsy's breathing was becoming shallower, not knowing what else to do I just sat beside my friend stroking her back as gently as I possibly could and softly sobbing that it was all going to be ok and that it was all my fault. Floppsy died a vicious and unnecessary death that day and I believe a little bit of me died along with her. Grief consumed me I don't remember much of the days following the attack until one day I was drinking in a tavern and saw a poster advertising the need for adventurers to eliminate an undead menace which had been spotted in Norvic. Rage and hope blossomed within me, I needed to do it, I needed to be the one to hunt these monsters down! I knew that the monsters that had destroyed my life and had killed poor Floppsy were probably long gone and were possibly destroyed already but a spark had been ignited with in me, I could do this. So I decided to return to Norvic, train myself up and join the scouts guild so that I could eliminate as many undead as possible and hope that no one else would suffer the same fate that I had.